Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: A set of unfortunate circumstances forces the court official Cao Cao to take drastic measures against the tyrant Dong Zhuo. From this however Cao Cao begins to realize that he is destined for much more. So he begins a rise to power; unaware that he is now on a course that will change the fate of the Han Dyansty forever. Cao Cao/Cai Wenji pairing. Part 1 of a series.
1. Plot's Against a Tyrant

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 1 of a Wei-Centric Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 1: Plots against a Tyrant**

In the year 189 AD, the Han Dynasty was embroiled in serious conflicts. In 184 AD a religious man named Zhang Jiao formed the Way of Peace and an army that became known as the Yellow Turbans, they rebelled against the corrupt central government but were swiftly put down and their leaders eliminated. However five years later the Emperor died and Emperor Shao ascended the throne; however a man then came to court. That man's name was Dong Zhuo. He arrived at the capital and soon took over as the Emperor's Regent and Grand Commandant. He then deposed Emperor Shao and put Emperor Xian in his place. To ensure Emperor Shao would be unable to counteract this action Dong Zhuo secretly had the young Emperor poisoned. He then began a reign of tyranny, ruling through fear and trepidation. When not engaged in acts of terror he sated his appetite for fine food, wine and women. So it was that, towards the end of the year, after putting down a rebellion against him led by Ding Yuan, he held a large amount of power, more than any other single warlord. He enjoyed his life of luxury; leaving the affairs of state in the hands of two of his officers; Li Ru and Jia Xu. He also put two of his best military generals in charge of his own guards, Zhang Liao and Lu Bu, both defectors from Ding Yuan's army. He also gained a new lady in his court, one he was completely enraptured with; a young woman named Diaochan.

Reflecting on all of this; Wang Yun, Diaochan's adoptive father, sighed sadly. He feared greatly for the future of the Han, and more importantly, his daughter. He was lost in thought and did not realize one of his servants was approaching him until the young woman spoke.

"My lord." He jumped, startled and turned to face her. "Your guests are here." She informed him.

He let out a breath and nodded. "Thank you."

He had called several court officials in the capital to meet with him; he had taken care to ensure his guests were not loyalist of Dong Zhuo. He entered the hall and took his seat at the head of the room. All his guests had taken their seats and bowed respectfully when he came in. Wang Yun took his seat.

"Sit up, my friends." He said; after they had straightened up he observed the guests carefully.

Finally he was satisfied that none of Dong Zhuo's confederates had managed to sneak into the meeting. He straightened up and decided now was the best time to begin to share his concerns.

"Everyone; we have a serious situation; Dong Zhuo has taken over the government and perverts the state and justice." He paused. "I have called you here because we alone, do not bend the knee to that tyrant and all wish to stop him. But we must try and think of a plan, something to put a stop to the tyrant once and for all."

Silence followed Wang Yun's speech as each official looked at each other; all aware now of why they had been called forth.

Each court official looked at each other, waiting for one of the others to speak. Finally however, one man, tired of this charade spoke up.

"You all talk and posture, but you fail to act." The man said; "The matter is simple; why, Lord Wang Yun, would you have me pretend to try and get close to Dong Zhuo, if not to take advantage of it at a moment like this."

All eyes turned to the speaker; he was dressed in an indigo blue outfit with a cape; his hair and pointed beard was black as were his eyes. Wang Yun stood up.

He stepped down from the dais and approached the speaker who was now standing up. "Cao Cao; are you certain that Dong Zhuo trusts you enough for this…plan of yours to work?"

Cao Cao nodded. "I believe he does; as for my plan, I simply need to get close enough to slip a blade between his ribs, but it must be strong, and long enough to penetrate his body."

The lords murmured at this; for they knew it would be no small feat, Dong Zhuo was immensely fat. While the blade didn't need to be capable of running him through, it would need to be long and sharp enough to pierce the tyrant's heart. Wang Yun had the answer.

"You are right Cao Cao, I have a special blade; just too short to be considered a sword, but long and sharp enough for the task." He stated, "The Seven Star Sword, a great treasure, and the perfect tool for this task."

Therefore Wang Yun bade his servants to retrieve the weapon.

Once the weapon was brought forth Wang Yun presented it to Cao Cao and spoke.

"Will you, Cao Cao, bring an end to Dong Zhuo for us, and deliver our hopes?"

Cao Cao bowed, accepting the sword. "I will, Lord Wang Yun. I shall leave at once."

Wang Yun nodded and Cao Cao left the dwelling. Outside he met up with two men who served under him; both with black hair and beards with indigo blue clothing; their names were Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan; cousins of Cao Cao.

"We have work to do." He informed them. "Meet me in front of the palace, Dun, go and get our weapons, we may need them. Yuan, come with me."

They both bowed and carried out their instructions as they headed for the palace. Cao Cao belted the Seven Star Sword to his waist and prepared himself, ready to carry out his task, he was determined, no matter what happened, to slay the tyrant Dong Zhuo.

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End of chapter and of story, enjoy.


	2. Escape from Luoyang

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 2 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you liked it; well, here you go :)  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well here's your answer.  
FanFicFanticGurl: Thanks, glad you liked it, yeah, best way I could think of :)  
kkman57: Well, it is only an introduction remember; besides, this chapter is where the action starts :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 2: Escape from Luoyang**

Cao-Cao and Xiahou Yuan arrived at the steps leading up to the Imperial Palace where Dong Zhuo resided. Only a few seconds later Xiahou Dun arrived with their weapons.

"Cousin..." He began to speak to Cao-Cao, but he shook his head.

"No, Xiahou Dun, you know weapons are not permitted; save for any that are to be presented to him." Cao-Cao paused and then spoke again. "Be ready, we may need to leave quickly."

They both nodded and armed themselves. Xiahou Yuan with his Bow and Rod and Xiahou Dun with his Podao. Dun also held onto Cao-Cao's General's Sword, ready to hand it to him as he came out. Cao-Cao entered the palace and began to walk through to corridors, heading for the throne room. As he walked towards the room two guards blocked his path with their spears.

Eying the Seven Star Sword one of them spoke. "You cannot see Lord Dong Zhuo while carrying a weapon."

Cao-Cao did not appear phased he simply replied casually. "The sword is for Lord Dong Zhuo, a gift."

Still suspicious the guards let him through; he walked up the length of the throne room; Dong Zhuo sat on the throne. A fat and ugly man with black hair and eyes as well as a long black beard; dressed in his colourful court clothes which had been custom made to fit his girth. At his side stood a giant of a man with long black hair which he wore tied back and black eyes. He was clad in black armour and a red pheasant tail headpiece and carried a large halberd.

Cao-Cao observed this mighty warrior with a sense of trepidation.

'_So that is Lu Bu.'_ He thought. _'Dong Zhuo's adopted son and bodyguard.'_

As Cao-Cao approached even closer he beheld a third figure standing next to the throne. It was a stunningly beautiful young woman with long tied back brown hair and blue eyes; her skin was pale and she was clad in a revealing yet elegant outfit. Cao-Cao knew immediately who she was, Wang Yun's adopted daughter, Diaochan. Once he reached the foot of the stairs Cao-Cao bowed and presented the sword to Dong Zhuo.

"Lord Dong Zhuo, I come bearing a magnificent gift for you." He declared. "I have here the treasured Seven Star Sword."

Dong Zhuo's eyes betrayed his obvious greed and he stood up. Cao-Cao watched him carefully, waiting for his exact moment to strike.

"A truly magnificent gift Cao-Cao." Dong Zhuo declared as he stopped right in front of Cao-Cao.

Taking his chance he lunged forwards beginning to unsheathe the blade. However he had made a mistake. By focusing completely on Dong Zhuo, he had failed to spot Lu Bu walking at Dong Zhuo's side. In one move Lu Bu pushed Cao-Cao back, caught the sword which slid back into its sheath, and pushed Dong Zhuo out of harm's way. Dong Zhuo's eyes widened in rage as two guards used their spears to force Cao-Cao to remain kneeling on the ground. Lu Bu handed the sword to his master and took up his usual position as Dong Zhuo sat down again, glowering at Cao-Cao.

Dong Zhuo examined the sword and drew it from its sheath, examining the sharpness of the blade and the length. He grunted.

"You fool, Cao-Cao." He growled. "How dare you try and assassinate me. You, a mere stripling with no real power."

With a dismissive laugh Dong Zhuo threw the sword to the ground and continued to berate Cao-Cao.

"You need strength and power to achieve anything in this land of chaos. I happen to have both, while you have neither." Dong Zhuo declared. "Now you will perish, knowing the folly of your actions."

Cao-Cao looked up; his entire body tense, ready to spring into action. "Folly, you are the one who is guilty of folly. You have strength and power, but do not know how to temper it; with reason and logic. Therefore, you are doomed to fail."

With that Cao-Cao grabbed one of the spears pinning him down, swept the legs of the owner out from under him and dodged the others attack. He then thrust the spear into his assailant, caught his spear and used the first to kill the remaining guard. Leaving it in the body he took up the remaining spear and threw it at Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu acted swiftly and cut the spear in mid air. Cao-Cao did not see this or care however. He had already fled. On Dong Zhuo's orders Lu Bu gave pursuit. Neither of them noticed however that Diaochan had slipped out through the side passage.

Outside Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun stood waiting anxiously.

"Our cousin's been in there a long time." Yuan stated nervously.

Dun nodded. "Yes I...wait, here he comes."

They both observed Cao-Cao and noticed he was running, they knew then that the attempt had failed and they had to run for their lives. As soon as Cao-Cao came level with them they began to run with him. Xiahou Dun tossed Cao-Cao his sword, which he caught and they began to flee, Lu Bu was hot on their trail. They heard shouting and heavy footsteps and soon saw soldiers appearing from all directions.

"It looks like a city wide alert!" Xiahou Dun declared.

Yuan sighed. "Great, so now we've got who knows how many soldiers between us and getting out of here."

Cao-Cao glared. "I do not care how many troops there are, we will cut our way out. Advance, cut down any who try to stop us."

With that they raised their weapons and charged into the crowd of soldiers and immediately began fighting. It wasn't long before they had cut a trail through the soldiers; their weapons and clothes were stained with blood as they continued to advance. Two officers of Dong Zhuo's army, Li Jue and Guo Si had tried to stop them, only to get wounded in combat. Lu Bu still pursued them as they found their direct escape route cut off. Left with no choice they took a risk and jumped into a side courtyard. It was then Lu Bu lost interest and fell back to the throne room to defend Dong Zhuo.

Once they landed in the side courtyard the trio fought to catch their breath but suddenly found themselves under attack from ballista fire. It was another of Dong Zhuo's officers; Chen Gong. His gloating was cut short however when Xiahou Yuan fired a shot that pierced his shoulder. Seeing their leader injured the ballista troops panicked. Seizing the opportunity the trio continued to flee. Niu Jin and his cavalry units along with Zhang Liao soon picked up the pursuit. Cao-Cao growled.

"Argh; is there no other way out." He despaired.

Suddenly the gate behind them that led to the garden's opened and a mysterious female voice spoke up.

"Lord Cao-Cao, this way, hurry."

The trio hurried into the gardens and the gate closed behind them, it was then Cao-Cao saw the owner of the voice, it was Diaochan.

"You, why did you help us?"

Diaochan gave a small smile before replying. "My father sent me a message informing me of your plan. If it went wrong I was to help you escape, you are our best hope at stopping Dong Zhuo. But you need an army, you need help, there are others who would act against Dong Zhuo, if given the incentive."

Cao-Cao nodded.

"I see; that makes sense, so now I know what I must do."

Diaochan nodded. "Good, over here."

She then led them to the east gate of the gardens and opened it.

"This will lead you outside the city to safety. I pray for your success Lord Cao-Cao, I must go, or Dong Zhuo will be suspicious."

Before Cao-Cao could say anything else Diaochan left as quickly and mysteriously as she had come. Not wasting their opportunity the trio fled and made it out of the city.

Once they were safely outside they stopped and caught their breath; Cao-Cao's mind raced as he continued to plot and plan, he knew what he had to do to stop Dong Zhuo; all he needed was the strength and power to make it a reality.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. Forming the Alliance

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 3 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; she will make her first appearance after the alliance against Dong Zhuo; which BTW, if what's happening now.  
FanFicFanticGurl: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well; he cannot die yet, we still need to do the alliance against Dong Zhuo after all.  
kkman57: Thanks, glad you liked it :)  
KurotenshiHime360: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; Cai Wenji will be appeared soon BTW.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, it's always tricky to get the right balance with a DW story, glad I managed. Thanks, I sometimes have difficulty with descriptions; glad I got it right. She'll show up after the Alliance against Dong Zhuo; well here's the next chapter, enjoy :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 3: Forming the Alliance**

Cao-Cao, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan finally arrived at Cao-Cao's dwelling in Yan Province. When they returned Cao-Cao explained their predicament and his plans to his father Cao Song.

"We need the aid of others; our only hope of stopping Dong Zhuo is to gather a large army." He explained. "We need the aid of the other regional lords as well as forming an army of our own."

His father was silent for a while before finally he sighed. "My son; a grand enterprise such as this requires money; luckily I know of a rich nobleman in this district; careful of virtue but careless of wealth. Let us ask him for his aid; we should be able to convince him to do so."

Cao-Cao agreed with this suggestion; he went to visit the nobleman and explained his purpose. When he heard this the nobleman readily agreed. Before long Cao-Cao was making preparations, he began building an army and recruiting men. Using the nobleman's money they were able to purchase weapons and armour for the army; Xiahou Dun began drilling the men and ensuring they were well trained. It was then Cao-Cao was joined by two men; exceptionally skilled and powerful; he recruited them as officers to command the soldiers. These men were both cousins of Cao-Cao on his father's side; Cao Ren and Cao Hong. Cao Ren in particular was noted for the heavy armour he wore, covering all but his face; he had brown hair and eyes along with stubble. Once he was certain that everything was ready Cao-Cao sent word out, looking for distinguished men of ability to join him.

Cao-Cao was working on his army's logistics when Xiahou Dun returned.

"Cousin." He greeted; bowing. "I have here two men who seek to join you. They are certainly skilled; I can vouch for them."

Cao-Cao looked up and observed the new arrivals; both clad in blue armoured outfits; one had golden armour plates covering his outfit as well as a silver stylized headpiece; brown spiky hair and brown eyes. The second had short curly black hair and black eyes. The first man wielded Dual Hookblades while the second was armed with a Wheeled Halberd. Cao-Cao could see immediately they were men of great skill and ability. He stood up and approached them.

"What are your names?" He asked.

The first man bowed and replied. "I am Yue Jin my lord; at your service."

The second man also bowed but sounded more relaxed in his speech as he introduced himself.

"Li Dian's my name; an honour, my lord."

Cao-Cao smiled and welcomed them into the army; he was certain in his own strength now, all that remained was to send out the call to arms to the other Regional Lords and see who replied.

"We shall now make our move." He declared. "Let the other Regional Lords do what is right; before long Dong Zhuo will feel our wrath."

With that the messages were sent out to the other lords.

Cao-Cao's message soon achieved its desired effect and before long many lords began to gather. They had all agreed to meet on the borders of Dong Zhuo's territory. Very soon the various lords gathered and their camps formed together; a large central tent was erected and all the lords gathered. Cao-Cao observed the gathered warlords; several stood out to him. The first that caught his eye was a tall man with silver hair, with a section of hair partially covering his left eye. He was clad in golden armour and a gold headpiece, armed with an Extension Blade; it was Cao-Cao's old friend Yuan Shao. Another famous face was a tall muscular man with slicked back white hair, a black beard and moustache and black eyes. He was clad in black and red armour with a red cape. It was Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong. He was armed with a Nine Rings Blade. Another man stood out to Cao-Cao; he wasn't a Regional Lord but he still stood out all the same. He had long black hair and black eyes and was clad in green and white armour and a green cape. He wielded a pair of Twin Swords; Cao-Cao found something interesting in this stranger; however at the moment his attention was preoccupied with noting the other lords who turned up.

Cao-Cao continued his observations and noted that Yuan Shao's relative Yuan Shu was also present; along with Gongsun Zan of Bei Ping; Ma Teng of Xiliang and several others. Cao-Cao nodded, the only Lords who seemed to be absent were Liu Yan of Yi Province; Liu Biao of Jing Province and Gongsun Du of Liaodong. Once everyone was assembled Cao-Cao stood up and prepared to make his announcement.

"My friends; we are gathered here under mutual purpose." He declared. "We have to face the tyrant Dong Zhuo and bring an end to his cruelty; what one man alone cannot accomplish; we can accomplish together under an alliance."

Sun Jian then spoke up. "Your words are true Cao-Cao, but we cannot simply advance like this, we wouldn't be a true alliance. We need to elect a supreme commander who will give the orders for us to obey."

Cao-Cao nodded in agreement. "You are correct…The family has served the Han in high offices for four generations; I can think of no better commander for us here, than Yuan Shao."

There were murmurs of assent from the others; Yuan Shao was surprised by this and tried to refuse the office; however the other officers all voiced their support and so he accepted his role. He elected Yuan Shu as head of the Supply Depot and Sun Jian as leader of the Vanguard. With their orders given the alliance began to advance towards their first obstacle between them and Dong Zhuo; Sishui Gate.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	4. Battle of Sishui Gate

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 4 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**FanFicFanticGurl: Well; wait and see what happens, I'm giving nothing away :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well, I'm not giving anything away, just wait and see what happens :)  
ShadowxSpark: Thanks, glad you liked it; I have actually already done that, if you read the first chapter it's totally original; and you'll find much of the dialogue in this actually is.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 4: Battle of Sishui Gate**

The alliance slowly advanced towards Sishui Gate; the first stronghold within Dong Zhuo's territory. Sun Jian rode at the front of his army; with his generals; two were particularly prominent. Huang Gai; a tall muscular grey haired man with a similar beard and moustache and black eyes; he was clad in light red armour that covered only various parts of his body and wielded a large boat shaped Arm Blade. The second was a younger yet no less muscular man; he had brown uniquely styled hair, a small moustache and beard; black eyes and clad in red and white armour; wielding a Short Pike. His other two generals were Cheng Pu and Zu Mao; two men Sun Jian trusted implicitly. There was another warrior fighting alongside him; a brash hot-headed youth fighting in his first battle. It was Sun Jian's eldest son Sun Ce. He had long tied back brown hair and a short beard; black eyes and a muscular build; he fought with a pair of Tonfas. As they rode within sight of the gate the lookouts saw them. They informed the leader of the garrison Li Su and he at once sent a messenger off to the capital to inform Dong Zhuo of the advancing army. When Dong Zhuo did receive this news he immediately called a council.

Once his men had all assembled he informed them of the situation and asked for a solution.

"There is no cause for panic my lord." Li Ru stated; "This alliance is nothing more than a ragtag group of various lords; they have no cohesive structure, each has his own motives and desires. They cannot work together."

Lu Bu then stepped forwards. "Li Ru is right, the enemy is weak; allow me to go and crush them."

Before Dong Zhuo could give his consent another warrior stepped forwards.

"Do not send Lu Bu; I am more than capable of the task myself; send me instead."

The warrior was a man named Hua Xiong; a powerful warrior in Dong Zhuo's service. Dong Zhuo agreed and sent Hua Xiong; along with Niu Fu; Fan Chou and Zhao Cen, and their soldiers to reinforce Li Su at Sishui Gate. By the time they arrived and their army arrayed within the gate; Sun Jian had made camp before the gate and the rest of the alliance had also taken up positions; ready for battle. Sun Jian and his men rode out of their camp and arrayed themselves in a battle formation; before shouting challenges at the defenders of the gate. Hua Xiong; having been given the authority of commander ordered Zhao Cen to go out and fight. He did so and soon he and his men arrayed before the gate.

Zhao Cen bellowed out his challenge for a duel; in response Cheng Pu rode forwards from Sun Jian's side. Both fighters rode out and prepared to clash; the moment they did Cheng Pu's spear struck Zhao Cen in the throat, instantly killing him. Sun Jian urged his men forwards and they charged, attacking Zhao Cen's men as they tried to flee back within the gate. Hua Xiong ordered the archers to fire; deterring Sun Jian's forces and forcing them to flee back to their camp. Zhao Cen's men had been decimated to at least half; Sun Jian hadn't lost any men but several had been wounded. Hua Xiong assimilated Zhao Cen's men into the other units and prepared for his next move. Meanwhile Sun Jian set his men to caring for the wounded and sent word to Yuan Shu, requesting supplies for his men. Yuan Shu agreed and the messenger left. However then one of his men spoke to him quietly.

"My lord; if you send the supplies; Sun Jian's army will surge forward and claim victory and all the honours will go to him." The man explained. "That will leave the rest of us, particularly you with nothing; what's more he is likely to take Dong Zhuo's place; leaving us with a Tiger in charge of government, hardly different from a wolf."

Yuan Shu was troubled. "What would you have me do then?"

"Withhold the supplies; state that you were unable to send them due to an enemy ambush; leave Sun Jian's army to their hunger and that will decide their fate."

So Yuan Shu withheld supplies and waited for the results.

Sure enough, before long, Sun Jian's army began to fall into disarray due to hunger. Taking advantage of this Hua Xiong launched a night raid. That night Sun Jian was awoken by the commotion; he quickly pulled on his armour and grabbed his weapon. By the time he emerged and mounted his horse he knew the battle was already lost. His men were being overrun; his officers and his son were fighting valiantly but struggling. Sun Jian gave the order to retreat. They fled but were overrun and forced to scatter and Sun Jian soon found he was alone save for Zu Mao. Zu Mao then noted something.

"My Lord; your cape is a sign the enemy will use to find you." He remarked. "Give it to me and I shall lead them away from you."

Sun Jian handed his cape over and as Zu Mao put it on. "Be careful my friend." Sun Jian declared before they split up and rode in different directions. Knowing of Sun Jian's famous cape the enemy only looked for that and so pursued Zu Mao; Sun Jian slipped away. The following morning Sun Jian found the remainder of his army; He gathered his men and soon found that Zu Mao had been killed by Hua Xiong. Saddened by the loss of his friend and half of the men of his army; he prepared to make his next move, seeking to claim revenge.

Meanwhile, in the alliance main camp; news of the incident had reached them. Yuan Shao sighed and turned to Cao-Cao.

"It would seem Sun Jian was defeated." He declared.

Cao-Cao nodded. "Yes, it would seem that vital supplies did not arrive in time." Cao-Cao replied; he turned pointedly. "I believe it was your job to assure they did Yuan Shu?"

Yuan Shu glared. "How dare you insinuate I'm not doing my job? I sent the supplies but the supply train was ambushed."

Cao-Cao merely grunted and turned away, frustrated at this setback. Just then they received word that Hua Xiong was challenging them to a duel just outside their camp. Desperate to detract the negative statements being made about him; Yuan Shu offered his officer Yu She to fight Hua Xiong. The offer was accepted but Yu She barely lasted five bouts before being killed by Hua Xiong; another officer charged out but met a similar fate. Hua Xiong's morale was high and he urged his army to attack. However before he or his army could advance they found themselves being attacked from behind. Taking advantage of this confusion Yuan Shao bellowed the order and the army in the main camp charged too; catching the enemy between the two. Hua Xiong was shocked by this and suddenly heard a family voice.

"Hua Xiong; this is for Zu Mao!"

Sun Jian charged forwards on his horse and with one strike Hua Xiong was beheaded.

Following Hua Xiong's death the army and other commanders fell into despair. They fled in desperation and the alliance charged forwards, gaining ground and finally claiming Sishui gate. They stopped and began to plan their next move, while at the same time Dong Zhuo's army returned to the capital and reported what had happened. Dong Zhuo was enraged by this and soon made his decision to march with his men to Luoyang's last line of defence and meet the alliance there; he was gambling everything on this upcoming battle; set to take place at Hulao Gate.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	5. Battle of Hulao Gate

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 5 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well, did you expect any less; yeah well; he was the one who historically killed him.  
FanFicFanticGurl: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, you're right.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah; you're right there; well, I was just going by history.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 5: Battle of Hulao Gate**

With Hua Xiong's death the alliance advanced, their morale high. However Dong Zhuo did not take kindly to his army's defeat. He gathered the rest of his army and based himself at Hulao Gate; he then sent several of his men out to block the alliance's advance. The alliance continued onwards, Yuan Shao led them, mounted on his magnificent charger. Suddenly he found himself and his men caught under a barrage of arrows.

"What is this; a trap?" He exclaimed, doing his best to avoid the arrows. "Arg, we cannot advance. Someone find who is firing those arrows, and put a stop to them!"

Noting the garrison on the nearby hilltop Cao-Cao charged forwards; keeping low and warding off the arrows with a borrowed infantryman's shield. He finally worked his way around and found the garrison was guarded by one of Dong Zhuo's officers; Dong Min, a relative of Dong Zhuo. Neither warrior said a word but charged at each other; Dong Min attempted to decapitate Cao-Cao with his sword. Cao-Cao raised his General's Sword and warded off the blow with ease. He then pushed the blade away and slashed out with his sword. Off balance Dong Min could only attempt to dodge; receiving a wound in the process. Dong Min attempted to fight but soon found Cao-Cao was too strong; after receiving many more wounds he fled, but the garrison doors were sealed up tight.

Cao-Cao frowned.

'_So, they think mere gates will keep me out.'_ He thought darkly. _'It's all about terrain.'_

He remounted his horse and rode to the higher section of the hill. From there he galloped down and had his horse jump down into the garrison where Li Jue was directing the archer attacks. Li Jue was taken by surprise by the sudden attack.

"What, a surprise attack." He gasped. "Everybody, hold positions; don't panic!"

However his words were futile; his men were fleeing; the archers had abandoned their bows and were running. As they opened the garrison doors the rest of Cao-Cao's army charged in and attacked. Cao-Cao fought with Li Jue forcing him to flee and allowing the alliance to advance again. Cao-Cao and his men joined up with the main army again and continued their advance. As they drew closer to the gate Cao-Cao rode up to Yuan Shao.

"We should be cautious; they'll have laid more traps ahead." He warned.

Yuan Shao nodded slowly. "Yes; we should be careful; have those new officers of yours search the bypath there; the rest of us can advance along the main road.

Cao-Cao agreed and sent Yue Jin and Li Dian to search the path. They headed off at once; as they rode Li Dian turned to his comrade.

"So, Yue Jin; what's your opinion of our new Lord?" He asked.

Yue Jin pondered for a moment before replying. "Lord Cao-Cao; he…he's different from the other lords here. He knows killing Dong Zhuo won't automatically stop the chaos."

Li Dian nodded. "You're right; he seems to be the only one with his eyes on the future. A vision; an ambition; definitely a man worthy of service."

Yue Jin nodded in agreement.

However their conversation was cut short by Dong Zhuo's army opening fire on the main unit with ballistae. They quickly drew their weapons; Li Dian sighed.

"Looks like my hunch was spot on, there really was a ballista attack here." He remarked.

Yue Jin urged his horse forwards. "Come; let us put a stop to this!"

The led their men forwards and soon clashed with the army. The officers in charge of the ballista attack fought back but found themselves outmatched. However when the duo reached the top of the hill; taking out the ballistae along the way, they found an officer capable of matching them. The man had long black hair and medium length black goatee; he wore mostly purple clothing with gold armour plates and white sleeves along with black boots and a purple turban. He was armed with a Chain and Sickle; it was one of Dong Zhuo's strategists; Jia Xu.

"Well; well, aren't you the energetic ones." He remarked in a bored drawl. "Well, I'm afraid it ends here."

With that Jia Xu prepared to turn the ballista on them. Li Dian reacted quickly however and launched the spinning blade of his halberd at Jia Xu; forcing him to dodge. The blade curved like a boomerang, taking out the operators of the ballista and then returned to Li Dian who reattached it to its handle. Yue Jin took the advantage to charge in and attack Jia Xu; finding himself on the back foot Jia Xu decided to cut his losses and fled.

The duo then noticed that the alliance had made it to the field before the gate and were under attack by catapults.

"We have to help them!" Yue Jin cried out.

Li Dian smiled. "Yes; we can use the ballista the enemy left behind, let's go."

They immediately got to work and soon wrecked both catapults; allowing the battles between the alliance and Dong Zhuo's officers and men before the gate to continue. They leapt down and joined the conflict. Finally they reunited with Cao-Cao and the rest of his army.

"Well done, both of you." He remarked. "Now, we must hurry; the rams are attacking the gates; they should be open soon."

So they advanced forwards, just as the gates were blasted open. Dong Zhuo, panicked by this fled with the majority of his remaining army back towards Luoyang. Cao-Cao led his men forwards in an attempt to catch up and eliminate Dong Zhuo. However they soon found their path blocked by none other than Lu Bu.

"So, the fleeing rats come to fight for a change." He growled. "I will claim your heads; here and now!"

With that he raised his Halberd and made to bring it down fatally on Cao-Cao's head.

However the blade was blocked; not by one of Cao-Cao's men, but by a large muscular man dressed in green. The man had dark brown hair and a bushy dark brown beard; he also had black eyes and was wielding a large Double Pike. The large man pushed Lu Bu back; Lu Bu glared.

"Who dares face me?!" He bellowed.

The man replied with ferocity. "I am Zhang Fei, your worst nightmare!"

With that he began to attack Lu Bu. Cao-Cao and his men watched in awe; amazed at the contest of raw strength. However it seemed Lu Bu was gaining the upper hand, then another voice bellowed out.

"Fear not Zhang Fei, I am here to help." The voice cried. "Come Lu Bu; face the might of Guan Yu!"

Guan Yu then stepped forwards; a tall muscular man with long black hair and eyes, a magnificent black beard and armed with a Crescent Blade. The fight continued with the two warriors facing off against Lu Bu. It was then the man who wielded the twin blades, Cao-Cao had seen earlier approached him. He knew the man's name now; it was Liu Bei.

"Lord Cao-Cao, leave this man to us; you should continue onwards."

With that Liu Bei joined the other two in their fight against Lu Bu.

However before Cao-Cao could advance Yuan Shao suddenly ordered the alliance to fall back. Cao-Cao turned to him.

"Yuan Shao, we must press on or Dong Zhuo is going to escape!" He called.

Yuan Shao shook his head. "We need not advance; Dong Zhuo cannot go anywhere else. We need to rest our army. Besides, there is only one threat left and those three are already taking care of it."

Cao-Cao shook his head. "How can you be so foolish; Dong Zhuo can easily leave Luoyang and go back to his home province; he can take the Emperor with him!"

"And upset everything by moving the people and the Emperor, he wouldn't dare."

Cao-Cao growled. "So be it, if you insist on this foolish course then fine; but I am not letting this chance slip away.

With that he turned and galloped away with his army; entering Hulao Gate and pursuing the fleeing Dong Zhuo.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	6. The Collapse

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 6 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well, here you go :)  
FanFicFanticGurl: Glad you liked it :)  
AnicentHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Collapse**

Dong Zhuo made it back to Luoyang; before long Lu Bu returned, defeated by the trio of warriors that fought him.

"Our backs are against the wall." Dong Zhuo complained. "We cannot stay here. But I am not relinquishing my power or the Emperor to them."

Li Ru pondered for a moment; during this time the rest of Dong Zhuo's defeated army regrouped and brought news of the alliance's unwillingness to pursue them, except for one army.

Li Ru smirked. "Of course; well, our path is clear now; we must move the entire Imperial Court, to the old Capital of Changan; any who disagree are to be considered allies of the rebels and should be put to death."

Dong Zhuo accepted this but was worried about the pursing army.

"Leave the pursing army to me and Xu Rong my lord." Li Ru explained. "Also, have Lu Bu command the rear guard as you flee; then we can trap the enemy between the three of us; plus…There is something else we can do."

Dong Zhuo smiled; satisfied and with this and preparations immediately began. As Li Ru predicted there were dissenters; two court officials; they were promptly put to death. They gathered all the treasures; loaded the Emperor and all his family into the Imperial carriage and began their exodus to Changan, leaving those that couldn't or wouldn't follow to their fate.

Cao-Cao led his army onwards; pursuing Dong Zhuo's forces into Luoyang; he was determine to not let the tyrant get away. When they entered the city however they heard the yells from Xu Rong's and Li Ru's armies; they also saw the ominous figure of Lu Bu up ahead. It was then that suddenly the ambush units sprung forth and the capital burst into flames.

"He plans to burn down the whole of Luoyang!" Xiahou Yuan gasped; "He's completely lost his mind!"

"Yuan focus!" Xiahou Dun called out as they were attacked.

The ambush units plus the fire combined to scatter Cao-Cao's army as their losses mounted. Cao-Cao's horse was soon slain and he was trapped at the outskirts of Luoyang. A river blocked the path to safety, an arrow wound to his arm preventing Cao-Cao from swimming across. He could hear Xu Rong drawing closer too.

"Is this where I'm fated to meet my doom?" He wondered aloud.

However at that point Cao Hong arrived. "My Lord, come with me; everyone else has made it to safety!"

Taking Cao-Cao upon his back Cao Hong immediately began crossing the river. Xu Rong arrived at the river bank but stopped pursuit; he had accomplished his mission. So Cao-Cao and Cao Hong made it to safety as Dong Zhuo and his army fled to Changan with the Emperor. As the flames in Luoyang died down, dejected by their defeat, Cao-Cao's forces returned to the alliance's main camp.

Yuan Shao heard of Cao-Cao's defeat and immediately ordered for a feast to be held to console Cao-Cao. Sun Jian stated that someone would need to assess the damage that had been done to Luoyang and volunteered for the duty him. Yuan Shao accepted and Sun Jian led his army into Luoyang. After Sun Jian and his men left, Cao-Cao and his damaged army returned. The feast commenced, Cao-Cao remained despondent and drank heavily. Finally much later Yuan Shao approached him.

"Cao-Cao; I won't deny I am disappointed in this turn of events; you should've anticipated an ambush." He stated; yet without any admonishment. "However you are alive; for that we are grateful; we could get another chance."

Completely drunk Cao-Cao lifted his head and glared blearily at Yuan Shao.

"There will be no chance." He slurred bitterly. "Dong Zhuo has gone; he's burned the capital and taken the Emperor deep into his territory. This alliance…has failed in its intent."

He lurched to his feet and staggered to the centre of the tent; he glared at each of the assembled lords.

"We travelled too directly; after Hulao gate opened; we should've have gone after Dong Zhuo." He growled. "Some of us should have pursued directly…Others should have taken the strategic points along the roads and so prevented him from fleeing."

He then seized the wine cup Yuan Shao had presented to him and cast it to the ground before grabbing the serving ladle for the wine vat and filled it. He drank directly from it twice before also throwing that to the ground.

"You've failed, Yuan Shao." He slurred. "We've all failed!"

With that he began to stagger out of the tent until Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan took hold of him and guided him back to his tent.

Meanwhile Sun Jian and his men entered the devastated capital.

"Such desolation; Dong Zhuo, you will pay for this someday." Sun Jian growled.

He and his men split up and began searching through the rubble. They were amazed to find a few peasants had survived the flames and destruction. It was then Sun Jian spotted something glowing in a nearby well. He reached in and fished it out; when he opened his hand he found himself looking at a magnificent jade coloured seal. His men had gathered round and were in awe at what they saw. Finally Cheng Pu stepped forwards, bowing.

"My lord; you are truly blessed by the heavens." He declared. "You have found the Imperial Seal."

Sun Jian looked from Cheng Pu and back to the seal in his hand, amazed at his discovery. His men all bowed deeply when they heard this. Ce stepped forwards.

"Father, do you realize what this means?" He asked; his tone full of reverence. "It is said that whoever holds the Imperial Seal is fated by the heavens to become the next Emperor."

Sun Jian however shook his head. "That is a mere fairy tale. Just holding a seal doesn't make you Emperor." He glared at his assembled men. "We must not let this fall into the hands of the others; they are all caring only about their own ambitions; like Cao-Cao said. We must find a means to return it to its proper owner and keep it hidden until then."

So they all decided to return home to Jiangdong, secretly hiding the Imperial Seal amongst their personal belongings. However a traitor informed Yuan Shao and Sun Jian was forced to flee with his men.

Following this Gongsun Zan along with Liu Bei and his sworn brothers, noting the cause of the alliance as being lost, also left. Cao-Cao, when he recovered from his drinking incident, also left with his men. Yuan Shao noted that the alliance was falling apart and so he had no choice. He disbanded the alliance and the gathered lords all returned to their home provinces. The alliance had failed in their sacred duty to destroy Dong Zhuo and now each lord began to rebuild his strength and prepare to carve out his own ambitions for the land.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	7. The Two Songstresses

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 7 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yup things are changing pace; Well; here's your answer.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, I always thought drunk Cao Cao was funny; well, here you go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Two Songstresses**

Diaochan sighed as she stared out the window; Changan was ideally suited to Dong Zhuo's purposes she had to admit. It was easy to defend; held vast stores and, more personally for Dong Zhuo, had a vast quantity of maidens. Following the failure of the alliance, her father had come up with another plan. However he faced great difficulty until she volunteered to help him out, no matter her personal cost. Her father's plan was for her to seduce both Dong Zhuo, an easy task, and Lu Bu, a somewhat harder task, and drive them against each other. She had been working hard at her task; it had been a year since the alliance had failed, she was closer than ever to success. However it had gone further than expected; Dong Zhuo had been too insistent, suspicious of her too leaving her with no choice. So last night, she had to sleep with him; with the memory fresh, just the thought made her shudder. She knew it was early morning; apart from the night watch nobody should've been outside or awake. The cool air caused her bare skin to pebble; and caused a strange slightly painful tingling on the bruises beginning to form on her hips and loins as well as her wrists. However to her surprise she heard the sound of music from the gardens; a Konghou harp. Curious she gathered up her clothes from the room, pulled them on and headed out to the garden.

She followed the sound, amazed at the melody; it was well played and hinted at a melancholy in the player. She eventually found the person playing; it was a young woman with long braided brown hair and brown eyes; she was clad in an elegant blue and white dress along with a black headpiece with a sapphire gem set in it and golden flower ornaments attached to it. Diaochan approached and waited until the young woman finished playing. She set her harp down and sighed heavily.

"That's was a beautiful song." Diaochan said softly.

The young woman gasped as she turned and saw her. She relaxed slightly but her eyes were still suspicious.

Diaochan raised her hands cautiously. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you; I heard your song and wondered who was playing."

The woman finally relaxed and nodded. "I…I see; thank you. You seem to know quite a bit about music."

"I do; it's one of the many things I was taught." Diaochan replied. "Sorry, I haven't even introduced myself; I am Diaochan, what's your name?"

The woman finally managed a smiled and replied. "Cai Wenji, my lady."

Diaochan nodded. _'I'm not much of a lady; not after what happened.'_

Keeping the thought to herself however she sat down next to Cai Wenji.

Diaochan thought for a moment before turning to Cai Wenji.

"I think I've heard of you before; aren't you Cai Yong's daughter?" She asked.

Cai Wenji nodded. "Yes; my father is a court official here. I've also heard of you, the…the court ladies talk about you a lot."  
Diaochan frowned; she wasn't surprised. "What have they been saying about me?"

"They say you are Dong Zhuo's prisoner, his slave." Cai Wenji replied. "They say he holds you and takes you against your will."  
Diaochan started. "Oh, I just…that wasn't what I was expecting…I was sure they thought of me as Dong Zhuo's whore."

Cai Wenji shook her head. "Not at all; but I see the thought saddens you. There's something else too; something else that makes you sad. What's wrong?"

Diaochan was amazed at the depth of this young woman; she had penetrated the mask Diaochan presented to the world with ease. "There is someone, someone who I truly love; but cannot have, not just because of Dong Zhuo either."  
Cai Wenji seemed surprised at this. "Who…Who is it?"

"Lord Lu Bu."

Cai Wenji bowed her head and they sat in silence. Cai Wenji felt bad for the poor woman who had confided in her and wished to help her somehow.

Later Diaochan slipped back to the chambers she was expected to share with Dong Zhuo. She slipped off her clothes and crawled back into bed; she pretended to sleep and waited. She continued to pretend as she heard Dong Zhuo waking up, mumbling and groaning. Then, to her surprise, there was a knock at the door. She heard Dong Zhuo hurry around as fast as he could, and get dressed. He then opened the door.

"What?" He said, his voice was soft, the way it was when he spoke to a woman.

Then, to her shock, she heard Cai Wenji's voice. "My father has important matters of state to discuss with you, my Lord."

He heard Dong Zhuo growl. "Oh curses; fine."

With that she heard Dong Zhuo leave and finally she sat up. Cai Wenji remained at the doorway.

Cai Wenji smiled at her. "Now's your chance, Lu Bu's in the Phoenix Pavilion; go to him, my father can only stall Dong Zhuo for so long."

Diaochan smiled, grateful to Cai Wenji for the risk she was taking. She left as Diaochan quickly got dressed and hurried to the Phoenix Pavilion. She knew this was her chance, two chances; to further her father's scheme and to tell Lu Bu the truth about her feelings, which hadn't been part of her father's scheme.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	8. Rapid Changes in Government

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 8 of my Dynasty Warriors story; enjoy.

**Reviews**

**AncientHeartlessKai: Yeah, tell me about it; creepy. Yup she's here and yeah, I always felt those two would get along. To be honest, this is only the first story in a series and it won't be until the end that they meet; however the next story onwards will have them spending more and more time together.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 8: Rapid Changes in Government**

Cao-Cao sighed; it had taken him a long time to rebuild his power, but now he had. His army was back to full strength and he and his officers had kept everything steady with their training to ensure they were strong. He paused as he reflected on the various messages from different parts of the land that he had received over the intervening years. Shortly after the failure of the alliance the various Regional Lords started fighting amongst themselves. This resulted in two new alliances being formed, Yuan Shao and Liu Biao against Yuan Shu and Sun Jian. The fighting had ended in a stalemate, but Sun Jian had perished and his son Sun Ce had taken over his armies and was forced to serve under Yuan Shu. Following that Yuan Shao turned his attention north and claimed Ji Province from Han Fu, he then fought Gongsun Zan and both armies were still engaged in war. Knowing that he would have to expand his army and recruit more officers in order to keep up Cao-Cao began by having his men see if there were any men of ability in the district he presided over. Deciding to pass some time while waiting, Cao-Cao headed out to the courtyard where his sons and nephew were practicing their archery.

He stopped a slight distance away and watched as Cao Pi; his six year old son; aimed his bow at the target. Standing nearby offering advice and encouragement was Cao-Cao's eldest son and heir; sixteen year old Cao Ang and Cao-Cao's nephew; Cao Anmin; who was of the same age as Ang. As Cao-Cao watched Cao Pi fired the arrow but missed the target. He frowned but Cao Anmin; who had seen his uncle watching laid a reassuring hand on Pi's shoulder.

"Try again, your father's watching."

Cao Pi looked up and saw his father; he then focused and attempted to shoot another arrow at the target. However once again he missed, prompting Ang and Anmin to break into laughter. Cao-Cao smirked and then called out to them.

"Which one of you was a marksman at six?" They fell silent and he then turned to his younger son. "Keep practicing."

With that he turned and headed back inside where he saw a messenger waiting for him.

"My lord; I bring word from the Capital; Dong Zhuo is dead; slain by Lu Bu."

This news surprised Cao-Cao, but he quickly recovered and remarked. "It seems the beast made himself useful, anything else?"

The messenger then explained how Lu Bu and those loyal to him had been forced out of the capital by Li Jue and Guo Si; the strongest remaining Dong Zhuo supporters; they then killed Wang Yun and took over Dong Zhuo's position.

"So things are no better than before." Cao-Cao remarked bitterly. "The sooner my army grows, the better."

With that he waited to hear what the results of his scouting actions had been.

It was not long before his men returned and with them they brought some promising new officers. The first were two strategists named Xun Yu and Xun You; at their recommendations Cao-Cao also hired other prominent officers; both military and civil. Cao-Cao observed the men before him, Yu Jin; Man Chong; Mao Jie; Cheng Yu and several others. His army had grown but he felt lacking; he needed an exceptionally skilled strategist. One who could work in both military and civil affairs? It was Xiahou Dun who provided him with the answer; his old childhood friend; Guo Jia. Cao-Cao went to visit the young man personally and was overjoyed when Guo Jia accepted his proposal; even laughing as Guo Jia remarked he would enjoy all the celebration feasts he would be able to attend.

"You haven't changed; old friend." Cao-Cao stated.

Guo Jia smiled his usual wistful smile as he replied. "In some ways I have; but not this way, of that I assure you."

So the two returned to Cao-Cao's headquarters and found that Xiahou Dun had found a magnificent new warrior to aid Cao-Cao; a giant of a man named Dian Wei; exceptionally skilled with an axe. Cao-Cao was impressed and agreed to allow the man to join them.

It was not long before Cao-Cao found a use for his new army; at that moment he received word of remnants of the Yellow Turbans attacking Yan Province; Cao-Cao, being in neighbouring Yu Province was given orders from the Emperor to dispatch these remnants. So he gathered his army and marched; intending, not to destroy this army, but rather to add it to his own and also claim governorship of Yan Province. As he advanced he called on Guo Jia to ride alongside him.

"I know these are nothing more than an assortment of bandits." He explained. "But backed into a corner, like they are, and they become desperate. I hope you have a means to defeat them."

Guo Jia nodded. "With men like this, you don't even need a complicated strategy; find the man leading them and force him to surrender; the others will swiftly follow suit."

Cao-Cao agreed and gave orders to find the Yellow Turban leader and to capture him alive. His army advanced, spreading out and attacking in units; almost immediately coming into conflict with the Yellow Turbans. None of the present officers seemed to be the commander however; yet suddenly Cao-Cao's unit found themselves in trouble. They found themselves under sudden attack by a man who was as tall as he was round armed with a massive club. He began berating them for damaging the crops in the area and charged in to attack.

Dain Wei however proved his worth by suddenly leaping to Cao-Cao's defence and blocking the attack. He and the large man exchanged blows for some time and it soon became clear to Cao-Cao that the man wasn't a Yellow Turban but a man who lived in the area, defending his land. He quickly called out.

"Hold a moment; I have no intention of destroying these crops; I am here to stop those who are and to teach them the error of their ways."

The big man stopped and gazed at Cao-Cao curiously. "So, you're not the enemy?"

Cao-Cao nodded. "Neither are those other men; they simply did not know any better; and it looks like they are now surrendering to me; I will take them, train them and teach them the error of their ways."

The man nodded and lowered his club. "I…I might've been a bit hasty…The name's Xu Zhu. Honoured to meet you; kind lord."  
Cao-Cao smiled. "The honour is mine; it is not every day I meet a magnificent fighter such as yourself; you matched Dian Wei quite well. What would you say to joining me?"

"So long as there is plenty of food to keep people happy, I'd gladly join you." Xu Zhu replied.

Cao-Cao accepted and sent a report of his victory to the Emperor. He was soon installed as Governor of Yan Province and began consolidating his forces; looking to build up his strength and solidify his power base before making his next move.

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End of chapter; Cao-Cao's rise begins; hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Battle of Xu Province

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 9 of my Dynasty Warriors story; enjoy :)

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Thanks.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Yeah, I know, Sun Jian's death is always a tragedy. Yeah, I wanted to work in a scene with the family; especially with Cao Pi being younger. Yup, Cao Cao grows ever stronger; however things are going to start changing, swiftly.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Battle of Xu Province**

A whole year had passed since Cao-Cao took over Yan Province. In the year that passed Sun Ce had broken free of Yuan Shu and taken over Yang Province. With that victory he became a major power in the land; however Yuan Shu now had his hands on the Imperial Seal. Li Jue and Guo Si remained in power in the Capital and Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan's wars continued to rage. Cao-Cao however felt that his position was secure and contented himself on building up his strength to make his next move. However fate conspired against him, forcing his hand. A messenger arrived with grim news for him.

"My Lord; your father, Lord Cao Song…" The messenger began, his voice choked. "While a guest of Lord Tao Qian of Xu; he was…he was assassinated."

There were gasps and cries of grief and despair, mostly from Cao Ang and Cao Pi at losing their grandfather. Cao-Cao sat in stunned disbelief at the news he heard; finally he shook his head and stood up. Blind rage gripped his heart.

"I will see these men pay for what they've done." He growled. "We advance on Xu Castle at once; I will not rest until Tao Qian is dead and my father's spirit put to rest."

With that the army rallied and prepared itself before marching out to attack Xu Castle.

When Tao Qian heard of the approaching army he immediately rallied his men for a defensive battle. However he knew that his army was too small to match Cao-Cao's. So he sent his trusted officer Mi Zhu to Kong Rong to beg assistance. Meanwhile he prepared to defend the castle using whatever traps and defensive capabilities he could muster. Cao-Cao and his army arrayed in their camp outside the castle; the castle and its nearby surroundings were garrisoned with Tao Qian's men. Cao-Cao saw the way the enemy had dug in and glared.

"This will not save them." He declared angrily. "I will drag them from their hiding spots; no matter the cost; Cao Ren, you are in charge of the vanguard, advance!"

Cao Ren bowed. "Yes, my lord. Yue Jin, Li Dian, Guo Jia, come, we have our orders."

So the army took up their positions and began the advance. However the advance was soon impeded when suddenly a trio of dragon statues at the side of the path began spitting boulders down on Cao-Cao's forces, crushing several of the men.

"I have a feeling the only way to stop these traps is for one or two of us to get past them." Li Dian stated.

Guo Jia nodded. "You are right; hmmm, okay. Li Dian, Yue Jin; pull our men back, try and keep further damage to a minimum. Lord Cao Ren, let us break through and find a means to stop this menace."

They agreed and carried out their tasks; Cao Ren using his Spiked Shield to defend himself and Guo Jia as they advanced.

Finally they escaped the boulders and came out the other side. It was then Cao Ren saw something.

"There Lord Guo Jia." Cao Ren cried. "Catapults."

Guo Jia smiled. "Heading to attack our main camp no doubt." He remarked. "Well, let's take them off the enemy's hands; then we can use them to destroy those boulder traps."

Cao Ren agreed and they charged forwards; Cao Ren used his Spiked Shield as a weapon too; Guo Jia fought with his usual Orb and Sceptre. Together they defeated the soldiers and officer in charge of the catapults. They then moved the catapults into range and began using them to destroy the boulder traps. Once successful they re-joined the main unit and advanced further. Then however Guo Jia stopped them.

"Wait my lord; I don't like the look of this forest." He stated. "Something tells me there's an ambush ahead."

Cao-Cao grunted. "We can't let that stop us; press on, Yue Jin, take some men and go down the left path, Li Dian, you take the right. We'll lure out and destroy their ambush units."

Guo Jia nodded. "A perfect plan, my lord, let us begin then."

So they followed the plan to the letter and took out the ambush. Now they were directly before the castle gates. The outer defences of the castle shattered.

Tao Qian began to fear for his life when finally Mi Zhu returned with Kong Rong and his men; with them were three people Cao-Cao recognized. Liu Bei and his sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

"They dare to interfere." Cao-Cao growled. "So be it, I shall cut them down too."

He urged his army to continued attacking the castle while also preparing to meet Liu Bei and his men in battle. However despite this he found that he would be unable to accomplish either as at that moment a messenger arrived.

"My lord, terrible news. Yan Province has been overrun." He declared. "Lu Bu's forces have attacked the castle; the men left to defend were scattered."

"What?" Cao-Cao gasped, "Urgh, one disaster upon another. I cannot lose Yan Province; I must call off the attack. So be it."

With that he pulled his army back and called off his assault on Xu Castle; appeasing Liu Bei in the process. So he was able to return to his camp and gather his army, finally calling those scattered from Yan Province together.

"So the beast dares to attack one of my provinces." Cao-Cao remarked darkly. "So be it, he shall pay for this; everyone, gather your fortitude and prepare, for we march to battle against the might Lu Bu."

His men quickly made preparations; knowing that, despite Lu Bu's strength they were in a dire position and that defeat was not an option; they had to succeed at all costs.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. A Desperate Attempt

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 10 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you liked it. Yeah; well, that was always his reason for attacking Xu Province; yeah, it's drawing closer :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 10: A Desperate Attempt**

Cai Wenji suppressed a shudder as she walked down the throne room to the Emperor. The central passage was guarded on both sides by loyal soldiers of Li Jue and Guo Si. They watched her as she walked up to the throne; she knew what was on their minds. They were all picturing what was under the dress she wore. While her movements meant the skirt needed to split at the back and sides; she wore black stockings along with her black shoes, which kept her legs more or less hidden. That did nothing to deter these men however; she had already received rather suggestive propositions from at least three of them already. The Emperor sat on the throne; petrified; standing on either side of him was Li Jue and Guo Si, the real holders of power in the Imperial Capital. They too had made advances towards her and she could feel their eyes on her now. Standing just behind Li Jue however was the one man who hadn't propositioned her; yet still she was afraid of him, perhaps more so than all the others, as his intentions weren't clear, like theirs were; Jia Xu. Once she reached the steps leading up to the throne she bowed and stood up, noting the way Li Jue and Guo Si's eyes slid over her body as she did so. She supressed a shudder and prepared to state her purpose for visiting the throne room.

Finally Li Jue stopped undressing her with his eyes long enough to speak.

"What brings you here woman." He asked; his voice gruff and harsh.

She held out the message as she spoke. "My apologies, my lords; my father sends his deepest regrets that he is too ill to attend court today."

Guo Si snorted as he took the message from her; being careful to brush his hand against hers, she fought hard not to recoil from his touch. "This is becoming a habit." He remarked as he read the message. "He writes surprisingly well for a man so ill."

Cai Wenji shook her head. "I wrote it; my father dictated what to say…It took a while, most of his words were mumbled, incoherent."

Li Jue shook his head.

"Very well; you may leave, thank you."

With that she bowed and took her leave, but not before locking eyes with the Emperor, seeing the plea for help in them. She left the throne room, her heart heavy with guilt at not being able to do anything for the Son of Heaven. Her thoughts wandered to her old friend Diaochan; she wondered where she was now.

'_She could've handled this better than me.'_ Cai Wenji thought sadly. _'Apart from that one incident with Dong Zhuo, she could use her body without being touched, twisting men's desires to suit her own ends. But even then, she still felt real love for Lu Bu; maybe that's why she left with him.'_

Still lost in thought she returned to her father's dwelling.

When she returned she found her father; who was in fact only feigning illness; in deep discussion with another man; a man she recognized as the Empress's Uncle, Dong Cheng. Cai Yong looked up as she entered.

"Oh, I'm sorry father." She said quickly. "I'll just…"

But her father shook his head. "No it's alright; in fact, I think you might be able to help us."

Confused she took the seat her father indicated. After a brief pause Dong Cheng began to speak again.

"As I was saying; we cannot allow this to continue. Our only option is to take the Emperor and Empress back to Luoyang and send for help; given the power struggles going on, our safest bet would be to ask Cao-Cao for aid." He paused and then continued. "All those loyal to our cause are all ready to act; we just need to get the Emperor away from them; my niece will be easier to help escape. I've already arranged her escape."

Cai Yong nodded and turned to Cai Wenji. "This is where you come in; if I am not wrong; you have been invited to attend a feast with the Emperor and Guo Si."

"Yes father." She confirmed. "So, you want me to smuggle the Emperor out of this feast and meet up with you?"

"That's correct." Confirmed Dong Cheng. "Meet us at the east gate; that is our exit."

Realizing this would be the change she was hoping for she readily agreed to the plan and along with the other conspirators, prepared for tomorrow.

So it was, the following day, Cai Wenji headed to the Palace. Along the way she stopped by Guo Si's residence and spoke with his wife briefly about her husband. She soon reached the palace and took her seat next to the Emperor. Guo Si was already in his seat and the feast began. Guo Si did most of the talking; the Emperor nodded and listened, while Cai Wenji waited for her chance. Sure enough Lady Guo arrived, angry, and Guo Si went to calm her down; Cai Wenji had let slip a concern that he was seeing other women and Lady Guo had been very angry about the revelation. Not that it was completely true but it served her purpose well. She turned to the Emperor.

"This way your highness; we must escape, now. You have friends waiting to take you to safety." She said quickly as she stood up.

The Emperor also stood up. "My lady, thank you, I am most grateful."

They began to flee; however they were too slow and Guo Si saw them making their escape.

"Foolish woman." He yelled at his wife. "Look what you've done. Sound the alarm, get my sword!"

With that the chase was on.

Cai Wenji realized early on that they were in trouble; she could hear the guards and several of those loyal to Guo Si and Li Jue closing in. She wished she had her harp with her; its sound waves were deadly when used in combat. As it was however she was unarmed; therefore she was unable to defend herself when the spearman leapt out and injured her thigh. She fell to the ground; in a panic the Emperor ended up killing the spearman with his blade.

"My Lady!?"

She shook her head. She knew it was hopeless. "Your Highness, you must flee; go to the east gate; your friends are waiting there…Go, don't worry about me."

The Emperor looked for a moment as if he might refuse; but the conviction in her gaze made him consent and he fled, making it to safety while Cai Wenji was caught and bound. She was taken to the dungeons to await Li Jue and Guo Si's decision on her fate.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	11. Battle of Yan Province

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 11 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**AncientHeartlessKai: Yeah, it's a terrible fate that awaits her, I've actually managed to type the whole story up, just uploading two chapters a day until I'm done; glad you are enjoying it still.  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well; you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.  
FanFicFanticGurl: Yeah, she's in real trouble; well, next chapter you'll see if your guess was correct.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 11: Battle of Yan Province**

Cao-Cao advanced his army cautiously; keeping an eye open for any ambushes that might have been laid. However there were none and when he and his men arrived they found Lu Bu and his men holed up inside the castle.

"Lu Bu, how dare you take this castle from me!?" Cao-Cao cried out when he saw Lu Bu upon the ramparts.

Lu Bu simply scoffed and replied. "Humph; I take what I please; you left it weak; so the fault lies with you that it is now in my hands!"

Cao-Cao glared and replied darkly. "It will not remain with you for long."

With that Cao-Cao ordered his army to attack; targeting the camp Lu Bu's forces had set up outside the castle. The camp was strongly defended however and was commanded by Lu Bu's officer; Zhang Liao. He had cut down any enemy that came close to him and even fended off attacks from Yue Jin and Li Dian combined. Finally however Cao-Cao had enough and gave the order to his men to use fire arrows and burn the camp down. This tactic was a success and Zhang Liao was forced to flee back inside the castle. With this initial victory Cao-Cao's men had high morale and prepared for the next assault. Lu Bu meanwhile decided to consult with his strategist; Chen Gong, about their next course of action.

Chen Gong shook his head after Lu Bu described the situation to him.

"To face Cao-Cao directly would be foolish; it would play into his hands." He explained. "The matter is simple; we need to fight fire with fire; he used that fire attack against us, so let's respond in kind, on a much grander scale."

Lu Bu nodded and listened to Chen Gong's plan before finally making his move. He would implement Chen Gong's plan, adding a few touches of his own. So it was that night that the gates were left open and a secret messenger for Lu Bu's army slipped out. He entered Cao-Cao's camp and presented Cao-Cao with a message stating that traitors within the castle had opened the gates and would aid Cao-Cao when he attacked. Cao-Cao was eager to attack, with the promise of inside aid but suspected a trap. Therefore when he rode his army through the gates to attack, he had his bodyguards; Dian Wei and Xu Zhu, by his side. Almost as soon as Cao-Cao passed through the gates they closed behind him, cutting him off from the rest of his forces. It was then that fire sprung up, covering the deserted south and east of the castle town. Then the ambushes that Lu Bu planned emerged and Cao-Cao found himself in real difficulty.

"Is this the end?" Cao-Cao wondered aloud.

Dian Wei shook his head. "Do not fear, my lord; we shall get you out of here!"

Xu Zhu nodded. "Dian Wei is right; just stay close to us."

With that they began attempting to fight their way out.

Cao-Cao and his bodyguards continued to flee desperately, their steeds had perished from the heat and so they moved on foot; taking cover when necessary. Twice Lu Bu passed their hiding spot, only narrowly missing seeing them. However as they continued to advance they were suddenly attacked by Diaochan, who was armed with her chain whip.

"Do you think you can best my dance?" She questioned playfully before beginning to fight.

While Dian Wei and Xu Zhu were stronger; Diaochan's slender build and superior speed made it impossible for them to hit her. She dodged their attacks, striking out with her whip several times. However she was focused on her opponents and so Cao-Cao crept behind her and stopped her assault; holding his blade against her throat. She froze and then sighed.

"I should've known better; so what are you waiting for, finish me?"

Cao-Cao shook his head and lowered his blade. "Not too long ago, you aided me; helped me escape; and gave me directions when I needed them. So I repay that debt now; flee. But do not think I will be so merciful again."

Surprised by this Diaochan did as he said and left. The trio then resumed their retreat and made it out of the castle, reuniting with the rest of the army and returning to camp.

Once back at the camp and recovered from their ordeal Cao-Cao and his men ate their evening meal; relieved at their lucky escape.

"The question now is how to respond to this attack. They've extinguished the flames; we'll need to come up with a means to attack and reclaim the castle, while getting our revenge."

In response to Cao-Cao's statement Guo Jia smirked and made a proposition. "My Lord; I know how we can gain victory; we all pretend that you died in the fire and lure the enemy out by making them think we are leaderless." He paused for dramatic effect and then continued. "We have a unit sneak into the castle while their main force is outside. Then we take the castle and both units close the enemy in a pincer attack."

Cao-Cao nodded. "Very well; we shall follow this plan; let us go now and put it to work."

So it was that Cao-Cao withdrew and hid in the forest while his men assumed a period of mourning. Seeing this Lu Bu decided to take advantage and attack; despite Chen Gong's protests. Chen Gong and his soldiers were left to defend the castle while Lu Bu led the rest of the army out to attack. Meanwhile an assault unit led by Xiahou Dun attacked the castle from behind. The forces inside were taken by surprise and soon routed. The castle reclaimed Cao-Cao emerged and his whole army surged like a flood upon Lu Bu's men. Panicked Lu Bu's men scattered and all were forced to flee; however not before one of Lu Bu's officers; Cao Xing, fired an arrow that struck Xiahou Dun in the eye. Xiahou Yuan fired back, killing the archer but Xiahou Dun removed the arrow and found he had lost his left eye.

Cao-Cao's forces won back Yan and settled in to rebuild their strength. Xiahou Dun was treated night and day for his injury and subsequent illness until he recovered to full fitness, wearing a patch over his left eye. Lu Bu meanwhile fled to Xu Province, which was now under Liu Bei's control, Tao Qian having passed away. Cao-Cao knew his revenge had met with failure and now had to content himself with forming plans for the future.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	12. A Songstress's Suffering

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 12 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**FanFicFanticGurl: Yeah, well here you go; glad you enjoyed it though.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well, Lu Bu did listen to Chen Gong's strategies, just didn't always agree with them or decided to do his own thing. Yeah, felt it would fit in better.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 12: A Songstress's Suffering**

The cold metal of the chains bit harshly into her skin. However Cai Wenji refused to allow her tears to fall; she would not give them the satisfaction. She was chained up in the dungeon; the wound to her thigh had been treated, but that was as far as her captor's kindness went. She was awaiting her sentence for aiding the Emperors escape; she knew that to go against Li Jue and Guo Si was treason in their eyes. She knew death would be her payment; that's not what scared her.

'_Will they just kill me, or will they do worse.'_ She thought fearfully. _'I've seen their looks; they want my body, they'll take it, no matter what I do.'_

Those thoughts raced through her head; making the sound of the cell door opening terrifying. She looked up and saw the jailor approach. He didn't say a word to her; just removed her chains before manacling her hands in front of her and her legs and forcing her to walk. She had to take small steps due to her leg restrains; but her jailor did not care, he kept her moving forwards. It was only when they arrived that she realized they were at the throne room. The doors opened and she felt like her worst nightmare had been unveiled.

Li Jue sat on the throne, Guo Si stood beside him on one side, Jia Xu on the other. Lined down both sides of the room, filling all but the central walkway, were those loyal to Li Jue and Guo Si. She was marched down the walkway to the front of the steps leading up to the throne, only then were her manacles removed. She looked up at Li Jue, fearful for what he had planned for her.

"So this is the woman who aided the Emperor in his escape." He asked rhetorically. "Well, we cannot let a crime like that go unpunished; can we?"

Jia Xu nodded. "She has committed treason and must be executed."

However Li Jue shook his head. "Don't be foolish Jia Xu; look at her; I have something different than execution in mind."

It was then Cai Wenji realized that Jia Xu had tried to help her; by trying to convince them to give her a quick death, rather than the suffering she now knew she would have to endure. Li Jue smirked at her.

"Well, I've already decided on a fitting punishment for a woman such as yourself." He declared before casually giving his order. "Remove your clothing; all of it; show everyone your body; whore."

The order stung like a slap; she was about to speak, to protest but Jia Xu caught her eye and shook his head. She knew then that would only make it worse; so she did the only thing she could and took off her dress; her hair ornament came with it. She kicked off her shoes and removed her stockings and undergarments and stood; petrified and naked before her captors and all his allies.

Li Jue laughed as he stepped down from the throne and stood level with her. Cai Wenji blushed, noting his gaze lingered on her breasts; yet she fought the urge to cover them with her hands, knowing it would just get her in trouble. He smirked; leering at her before speaking.

"Well boys; she's all yours!" He cried as he suddenly grabbed her arm and pushed her into the crowd of men gathered around.

She cried out in shock before a hand covered her mouth; it was then she realized this wasn't just them taking advantage of her; some had no inclination to do that; she was being beaten and tortured too. Desperate to escape this nightmare and praying for it to end she suddenly found herself remembering something Diaochan told her; concerning that night she was forced to spend with Dong Zhuo.

"_It was horrific yes, but I found a way to cope. I just, found some place inside myself, where nobody else could go, surrounded by walls. I hid myself there and just waited until it was over."_

The words rang in her ears and she decided it was her only hope. So she closed herself off; and allowed her body to go limp. She remained safe, hidden away inside herself, while these beasts in human form defiled and degraded her. She only became aware that it was over when Li Jue delivered a harsh slap to her posterior and ordered the jailor to take her out and chain her to a cart; they were going to transport her, as she was, to Tianshui. There she would remain imprisoned until Li Jue said otherwise. In the meantime, while imprisoned she was to pleasure anyone who wanted it.

She knew her nightmare was just beginning but she refused to let anything anyone said or did get to her. She kept her face blank and stayed shut off within herself as she was chained to the wagon. She was gagged and then taken out; paraded through Changan for all to see and driven out to Tianshui to suffer the same fate.

'_Don't let them see you cry, don't show any weakness.'_ She thought desperately. _'If you cry or let them get to you, they win; you cannot allow them to break you, no matter what they do to your body.'_

So, despite the insults, the suggestive comments, the reactions of the people that saw her, she stayed silent; refusing to let them beat her. She finally found herself in one of Tianshui's dungeon and breathed a sigh of relief; she knew that now, for a while at least she could lie in the darkness and recover. She was certain she would need the strength soon.

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End of chapter, poor Cai Wenji; read and review please.


	13. Request of Aid

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 13 of my Dynasty Warriors story; enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Yeah; she's now at the mercy of men just as cruel as Dong Zhuo, well; here it is.  
AncientHeartlessKai: Yeah; she's now in serious trouble, poor girl; I can assure you they will die. At least he tried though, all the others went with Li Jue and Guo Si.  
FanFicFanticGurl: Yeah; it's pretty bad; well, read on to find out.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Request of Aid**

Following the incident at the Capital Dong Cheng fled with the Emperor and Empress along with their entourage. Cai Yong was afraid for his daughter's well-being but knew returning for her would be suicide. He prayed fervently for her to be safe however as they continued along the road; heading for Luoyang. Dong Cheng sighed as they continued.

"The only good news it our escape will have driven a wedge between those two. Li Jue will blame Guo Si for the escape. Guo Si will resent that and they'll likely destroy each other."

The others agreed yet suddenly went silent as they approached guard post; it was manned by Guo Si's men. Luckily news of the escape had not yet reached them and; seeing the Emperor, they let the party travel onwards. However when Guo Si later arrived he was furious and berated them before chasing the party down. Word soon reached them of their pursuit and the Emperor panicked.

"Worry not; your highness." Dong Cheng stated. "I have a faithful friend who lives near here; we just need to make it a bit further and we'll find him. He can help us."

So they pressed on, desperate to find Dong Cheng's friend before Guo Si caught up with them. They soon came upon an army that was waiting for them, the man in front dismounted and bowed when he saw the Emperor.

"I am Yang Feng, your highness; I am here to aid you." He declared.

Dong Cheng then told him of the pursuit. Yang Feng nodded grimly. "Go on ahead, I shall repel them and join up with you."  
So the Imperial entourage advanced and Yang Feng arrayed his men, just as Guo Si's arrived.

Guo Si glared at this new opponent and berated him for a traitor.

"You dare stand against me; I shall cut you down."

Yang Feng was not impressed and replied dismissively. "Do your worst, you are the traitor; I shall have to teach you a lesson; let us settle this with a duel, choose your champion and I shall choose mine."

Guo Si laughed and chose one of his officers; the man rode out to fight. Yang Feng observed the man without much interest before calling for his champion.

"Xu Huang!"

From within Yang Feng's ranks a man wielding a massive Great Axe emerged and rode out to meet Guo Si's officer. With an effortless swing Xu Huang beheaded his opponent and then led Yang Feng's army in a charge that routed Guo Si's men and forced them to flee. They then regrouped and caught up with the Imperial Party. Guo Si meanwhile regrouped his men and fell in with Li Jue. He informed Li Jue about his attempt and defeat.

Li Jue snorted. "Well at least you're trying to fix your mess. Let's go, we'll take them down together."

Guo Si glared at this but agreed and they hurried after the Imperial party.

Meanwhile the Imperial party reached what was left of Luoyang; they made shelters in the less damaged buildings. Once there the Emperor, following Dong Cheng's advice, prepared a letter, requesting Cao-Cao to provide military aid to deal with Li Jue and Guo Si. A messenger headed off at his best speed while the Imperial party waited in fear at Luoyang, praying that Cao-Cao would reach them before Li Jue and Guo Si. Cao-Cao meanwhile had greatly increased his strength and was planning his next move.

'_I need to be able to change this land.'_ He thought to himself. _'To make a strong future, where war and chaos are irrelevant; where order is established through discipline and strength.'_

He knew he would need to claim greater power in order to do this. As if on cue the messenger from the Emperor arrived. Cao-Cao read the missive and called his officers to a council; he explained the contents of the missive and his plans regarding what to do. He waited to see if anyone had any thoughts they wished to add. It was Li Dian who spoke.

"My Lord; this is the perfect opportunity; you should grasp it with both hands."

The others voiced their agreement and so Cao-Cao send Xiahou Dun ahead as vanguard leader and brought up the rest of his army once they were ready.

Cai Wenji groaned as she woke up, the pain from her injuries and rape seemed more acute now. She slowly pulled herself into a sitting position and fought to keep herself under control. She suddenly became aware of another presence in the cell and immediately pulled the blanket tight around herself. She looked around wildly and then saw the intruder, it was Jia Xu.

"So you've woken up, about time." He remarked. "Those two have made a grave mistake; I'm giving them one last chance. If they fail, I'll take my services elsewhere; as for you, this is not the life you should lead."

She stared at him in surprise. "What do you...?"

He shook his head. "Unlike the...others; I have a conscience; besides; I know a lost cause when I see one. Maybe the valiant lord who comes to destroy these two will save you. Who knows? Better still why not deliver yourself into his hands."

She shook her head sadly. "Not going to be easy when I'm trapped."

"Not as trapped as you think." He stated. "I heard there is a wall in this cell...that's hollow; now I wonder how that's possible, hmmm?"

With that he turned and left, but Cai Wenji realized what he meant and almost immediately she found herself with fresh hope.

Meanwhile in Luoyang the Emperor waited anxiously.

"What if Cao-Cao refuses our request?" He asked Dong Cheng.

Dong Cheng however shook his head. "That won't happen, Lord Cao-Cao is a true servant of the Han; it was he who first tried to kill Dong Zhuo; he will help us again, I'm sure of it."

It was then they received news of the arrival of Li Jue and Guo Si's army. As Yang Feng arrayed his men, ready to fight what looked to be a losing battle they heard of yet another army approaching, this one from the east. When they beheld the indigo blue banners, emblazoned with a Phoenix; the hearts of those loyal to the Emperor lifted; Cao-Cao's army had arrived.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	14. Cao Cao takes control

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 14 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**AncientHeartlessKai: Thanks, glad you liked it; yeah, well, like he said, he knows a lost cause when he sees it, yup, getting closer. Well; I can't give anything away so, read on.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Cao-Cao Takes Control**

The moment they joined with Yang Feng's army Cao-Cao's vanguard charged the enemy. Cao-Cao himself arrived shortly afterwards and joined his army to them too. The result was catastrophic for Li Jue and Guo Si and they were forced to flee back to Changan. Following the victory Cao-Cao accepted the reward from the Emperor and was soon made Prime Minister. Seeing the disreputable state of Luoyang and knowing of the majesty of one of his cities Xuchang, Cao-Cao told the Emperor about it.

"If we are to have a proper government; we should set it up there; the city is everything the capital should be." He explained. "I will have my men get to work repairing Luoyang; if you wish to make it the capital again once repairs are done, then we shall do so."

The Emperor; amazed at Cao-Cao's skill both in battle and in politics agreed. Many of those present also did and were eager to head for Xuchang. Yang Feng, Xu Huang and their men however did not leave, they instead swore loyalty to Cao-Cao and soon he was ready to resume pursuit of Li Jue and Guo Si. Cao-Cao sent out a call to arms; recruiting skilled officers and soldiers from all walks of life; from noblemen to simple commoners. Before long he also extended his territory and claimed Sili Province and half of Yong Province, taking Changan. Li Jue and Guo Si deserted it, taking their men with them, when they heard the size of Cao Cao's approaching army.

Cao-Cao decided now was the time to claim absolute victory over the duo and decided to finish them off. He set his army against Tianshui. Holed up in Tianshui Li Jue and Guo Si finally reconciled their differences, but they knew they could not fight Cao-Cao.

"It matters not." Said Li Jue. "We just need to hole up here; we have plentiful supplies. Let Cao-Cao's army stay here until hunger defeats them and they are forced to flee."

Guo Si smiled. "Indeed; we need only concern ourselves on having fun, especially with that whore we have in the dungeons."  
Both men laughed at this but Jia Xu shook his head.

"Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." He stated seriously. "To just sit on the defensive is to invite disaster. We can defeat Cao-Cao, if we use the right tactics."

Li Jue waved his hand dismissively. "As if you would know Jia Xu. Cao-Cao's numbers are too great; we cannot win a straight out fight; better to starve the enemy."

Jia Xu sighed. "I'm offering you one last chance; take it and I will guide you to victory; fail and I will have no choice but to seek service elsewhere."

But they were not to be swayed and so Jia Xu left; seeking service with Zhang Xiu who was moving to take up residence in Wan Castle in Northern Jing. He had told the young woman of the escape route; he had tried to warn his former lords; but they refused to listen. So he made up his mind and left them to their fates.

Cao-Cao brought his army to Tianshui and set up camps, surrounding the castle on three sides; the north was unguarded. Concerned by this possible escape route; Cao-Cao sent a messenger to Liang Province; convincing Ma Teng; head of the famed Liang Cavalry; to join the battle; promising to reward him with Governorship of Liang Province. Ma Liang agreed and brought his army forth to block the northern escape and Tianshui was encased; as if in a sturdy barrel. Soon the war became a war of attrition as neither side would attack the other. Cao-Cao and his men attacked the castle; using archers and ballistae; Ma Teng did the same. But Li Jue and Guo Si's men maintained a stubborn resistance; while they spent their time drunk in the Castle's grand hall. Cao-Cao was in council with his generals and gave voice to his frustrations.

"Ma Teng's supply of food is almost gone." He told them. "As is our own; we must find some means to counter this stalemate and take this castle. Otherwise we will have to leave, this threat will remain."

However nobody had any plausible plan that would work. Guo Jia shook his head.

"Unless we receive some unexpected help; I don't see how we can get into the castle too attack it."

So it was that they found themselves at a stalemate; Cao-Cao, in an effort to break it, sent out scouts, hoping to find something that would aid him.

The rough, torn material of the blanket hurt against her bruises; but to Cai Wenji, it meant little. It was better than being naked she determined; she had torn the blanket up to fashion rough undergarments and a short rough dress which she had pulled on. After that she had begun to work; she heard the sounds of battle above and prayed she could find a way to the attacker; she would gladly surrender to them if they helped her escape this nightmare. But first she had to find the escape route; she searched the walls thoroughly. It briefly occurred to her, in the back of her mind; that Jia Xu might have been lying. But something about the way he said it made her feel that wasn't the case. Sure enough she found a weak section of the wall that slid inwards and she quickly followed the passage on the other side. She crawled out into blessed daylight and knew she was free. It was then she saw the soldiers; they were clearly the attacking army and seemed surprised to see her.

"Please." She begged. "I need help, I'm a prisoner of Li Jue, I've just escaped; I..."

The leader soldier of the group shook his head. "You'll need to speak to our lord, my lady. This way."

With that Cai Wenji found herself being escorted to the man whom she prayed would be her saviour.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	15. Towards the Future

**Dynasty Warriors: Strength to Change the Land**

Chapter 15 of my Dynasty Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**FanFicFanticGurl: Thanks, glad you liked it :)  
AncientHeartlessKai: Yeah, they certainly are; worse still arrogant ones. Yeah, she's escaped, well, read on to find out what happens to her :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Towards the Future**

Cao-Cao was in his tent; attempting to work out a strategy that would force Li Jue and Guo Si out of the castle. So far his scouts had not reported any favourable results; he was growing frustrated. It was then his final group of scouts arrived; he noticed they were escorting a woman.

"My Lord; we found this woman outside the castle." The head of the scouting party declared. "She was a prisoner in Tianshui but escaped."

Cao-Cao immediately saw his chance now. He sent the scouts away and indicated for the woman to sit next to him. She did so; he noted she was uptight and seemed fearful.

"You have suffered greatly." He stated as kindly as he could.

She nodded slowly; Cao-Cao sighed and then asked. "What is your name?"

"Cai Wenji; my lord." She replied; her voice was soft and hinted at her fear.

Cao-Cao nodded. "Lord Cai Yong's daughter; your father is safe; I'll see to it you are reunited; but I need your help to end this battle first."

She nodded. "I understand; you want to know how I escaped. There is a secret passage that leads into one of the cells in the dungeon; right were your men found me; I had only just escaped."

Cao-Cao nodded. "Thank you." He then called out to one of his camp followers. "See to it she is taken care of; given a proper meal, proper clothes; understand."

"Yes my lord." The camp follower replied bowing before escorting Cai Wenji away.

As they left Cai Wenji looked back at Cao-Cao and spoke in just above a whisper. "Thank you."

Cao-Cao nodded in response, a small smile on his face.

Cao-Cao gathered his army and called the scouts that found Cai Wenji into the tent.

"We are going to split our army in two; half of us will continue the attack, distracting them. The other half will follow the scouts to where they found Lady Cai Wenji; she escaped through a secret passage that will lead us inside."

Cao-Cao detailed his plan and sent word to Ma Teng informing him of the plan and they carried it out. While Ma Teng and half of Cao-Cao's army continued their attack against the walls; only to be repelled; the other half of Cao-Cao's army, arrived at the area and after some searching; found the hidden passage. They slipped down it and headed down the passage. Finally they reached the cell and broke through it; the worked their way through the dungeons and finally out into the castle. They made it to the gates and opened them allowing Cao-Cao and Ma Tend to charge right in. Overwhelmed by the combined armies Li Jue and Guo Si's officers and soldiers were either killed or surrendered. Cao-Cao then heard that his men had caught the two leaders and he ordered them to be brought before him.

"You have committed many grave acts." Cao-Cao remarked. "Now you must be made to pay."

"How dare you, upstart; you have no right!" Li Jue bellowed.

Cao-Cao shook his head and had the duo executed.

With their deaths he set men in charge of Tianshui and pacified the region, ensuring it returned to a peaceful state. Then, with Ma Teng accompanying him back to Xuchang, along with Lady Cai Wenji. When they finally arrived Cai Wenji was reunited with her father.

"Lord Cao-Cao." Cai Yong said; relieved. "I cannot thank you enough; I feared my daughter lost; but you have returned her to me."

Cao-Cao nodded slowly. "I just wish I had been quicker, to save your daughter from the harsh treatment they gave her."

Noting that they were alone and feeling that she could trust Lord Cao-Cao's discretion.

"They defiled me father; stole me honour and…" She gasped and burst into tears.

Her father did his best to comfort her; Cao-Cao bowed his head.

"My apologies for being too late, My Lady." He stated softly. "Anything I can do to help either of you; let me know."

They both bowed and Cai Yong replied. "Thank you, my lord, you are most kind."

With that Cai Yong led his daughter to their new dwelling.

Cao-Cao meanwhile went to the palace with Ma Teng; the Emperor greeted them and, after hearing of Ma Teng's actions from Cao-Cao, he gave him governorship of Liang Province. However since his official seal was still to be made Ma Teng would have to stay in the capital. Cao-Cao then turned his attention to replacing the men he had lost and gathering more men and ensuring that the regions under his control were kept in order. He had taken the first steps and now, with the Emperor at his side; he was the most powerful warlord in the land. But he knew he needed to do more, more strength was needed if the land was to finally be free of the chaos.

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End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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